March 2026

by Robin Astle.

FBHVC CLUB EXPO 2026

In January Ian Thomas and I attended the Federation’s annual Club Expo at the British Motor Museum, a conference covering all matters relating to the historic vehicle movement.

UNESCO – Intangible Cultural Heritage – Presented by David Whale

This title left the audience somewhat bewildered! To put it into context, Tangible Heritage cover physical things such as historic buildings, monuments machinery etc. Intangible covers traditions and social practices.

In 2024, the UK joined many countries in supporting the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Convention looks at Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) or living heritage, as we call it, which is cultural heritage that is living and practised. Examples of living heritage in the UK range from bellringing to boatbuilding, ceilidh to carnival, pantomime to pancake day. Highland games to Eisteddfod, Lambeg drumming to longsword dancing.

As part of this, the UK is setting up inventories of living heritage in the UK. There are four separate inventories for England, Scotland. Wales, and Northern Ireland, and these will combine into one inventory of living heritage in the UK.

The FBHVC has been approved to register a Statement of Interest on behalf of the Historic Vehicle Movement and the British Historic Transport Movement. The FBHVC is a member of the Heritage Alliance along with FIVA, and their Historic Vehicle Survey of 2025 helped demonstrate their credibility for this role. An example of what is in mind is the annual Banbury Vintage Motorcycle Run. As well as raising the profile of such events the Federation see this as a way of helping protect our right to use yesterday’s vehicles on tomorrow’s roads.

FUELS – Presented by Nigel Elliott

E5 Protection Grade:

E10 petrol introduced as the standard 95-octane petrol grade on 1 September 2021:Higher-octane 97+ 'Super' grades to remain E5 to provide protection for owners of older vehicles This product designated as the 'Protection' grade.

The introduction of the 95-octane E10 grade and the maintenance of the Super E5 protection grade will be reviewed by the Government after 5 years to ensure they remain appropriate to the needs of the market: In relation to the E5 protection grade, such a review will examine market developments over the period HM Government have sought to reassure FBHVC members and historic vehicle owners that, without a suitable alternative becoming available, it is highly likely the Super E5 protection grade would continue to be available.

A review is due this year (2026) but no information from HMG on a review at the moment. The FBHVC is working closely with Fuels Industry UK (formerly UKPIA) representing UK fuel refining industry.

UK Oil Refining:

4 remaining UK oil refineries:

• Essar - Stanlow, Retail brand Essar
• ExxonMobil - Fawley, Retail brand Esso
• Phillips 66 - Immingham, Retail brand Jet
• Valero - Pembroke, Retail brand's Valero, Texaco

Refineries closed in 2025:

• Petrolneos – Grangemouth
• Prax – Lindsey. Phillips 66 have agreed to purchase Lindsey oil refinery from the liquidator and integrate key assets into their Immingham refinery.

UK energy security is a serious concern. High energy costs and crippling net-zero legislation is destroying the UK oil and chemical industry and increasing UK reliance on finished fuel imports.

Taxation Changes

A new tax for electric vehicles and some hybrid vehicles has been announced by the chancellor in the Budget

From April 2028, electric car drivers will pay:

• A road charge of 3p per mile
• Plug-in hybrid drivers will pay 1.5p per mile, with the rates going up each year with inflation

The new tax is about "half the fuel duty rate paid by drivers of petrol cars", according to the government's independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)

The chancellor is also committed to extending the 5p cut in fuel duty until September next year, after which it is set to increase annually by the RPI measure of inflation.

UK Petroleum Products

The UK continues to import an increasing proportion of its petroleum products, which now accounts for over 50% of demand:

• The United States is the largest import origin of crude oil and petroleum products combined.
• Diesel remains the largest product delivered domestically

Solving The Fuels Challenge

The message coming from the oil industry is to make it easier to do business in the UK

• Regulation is helpful, but don’t be tough to the point it’s punitive and drives away investment.
• Be open to a broader range of technologies to reduce emissions.
• Different technologies should be evaluated on a cradle to grave basis using sound science.
• Electric vehicles are not zero emission.
• Let companies innovate and use market forces to drive competition.
• De-industrialising is not the answer.
• The UK will pay a high price through product shortages, higher costs, lost jobs and increased reliance on imports.

Net Zero

The EU is in the process of backtracking on the 2035 Internal Combustion Engine ban after intense pressure from the automotive industry:

• Car manufacturers new models must achieve a 90% tailpipe CO2emissions reduction from 2035 onwards, reduced from 100% which would have seen the entire industry shift to Battery Electric Vehicles.
• This change allows for Plug-in Hybrids, range extenders and internal combustion engine vehicles to remain viable beyond 2035.
• The remaining 10% of emissions can be compensated for by using low carbon steel made in the EU (up to 7% of the reference target) and from actual savings from e-fuels and biofuels put on the market (up to 3% of the target).

Meanwhile the UK appears to be sticking with the 2030 ban on ICE engined vehicles.

What Can We Do

• Continue to support the Super E5 “Protection grade”
• Consider using renewable low carbon fuels such as P1 and Sustain where possible.
• Encourage Tree-V carbon balancing for Classic and Historic vehicle club events.
• Advocate a “sound science” approach when comparing renewable technologies with historic fossil fuels:
• Well to wheels
• Wind and Solar to wheels
• Keep driving our Classic & Historic vehicles and encourage youngsters to get involved.

Classic Car Register

The Classic Car Register (https://classicprovenance.com) is a database being set up to research the history of any specific vehicle, whether a cherished gullwing, or a barn-find midget, to help reveal its history to reinforce its credentials. The Classic Car Register aims to bring greater transparency to the wider classic car market, and in so doing to replicate what the Art Loss Register has achieved for the art trade, raising standards in the documentation of provenance and acting as a deterrent for malicious intent, through the creation of an internationally recognized database.

Phase 1 involves compiling data from the classic vehicle auction houses and phase 2 will include data from wider sources.

Drive-it-Day

The Federation are looking forward to another successful Drive-it-Day on 26th April. The initiative has so far raised £250,000 for the Childline charity, approximately £50,000 per year.

DVLA – Presented by Ian Edmunds

Post COVID the DVLA introduced a series of User Groups to represent various specific sections of their ‘customers’ such as fleet operators and disabled drivers. Amongst these was the Historic Vehicle User Group (HVUG). The first meeting in October 2021 was initially very promising. However, it deteriorated to the point where I stopped attending. All the appropriate DVLA management attended but gave the impression of not listening.

Throughout this period the FBHVC continued to lobby up to, and including, the then Secretary of State. Some changes in DVLA personnel started to effect some improvements. Then, in April 2024 was the DVLA Call for Evidence with a closing date in July. This attracted an unprecedented volume of responses.

Then surprise -they had been listening! At the HVUG meeting in December 2024 the DVLA shared details in confidence of work in progress on registration policy revisions. The announcement of policy revisions came in August 2025. These concerned chassis/monocoque repair or replacement and the issue of INF 318. One or two minor issues remained under discussion.

October 2025 and a very constructive meeting with new DVLA CEO Tim Moss. David Whale introduced the FBHVC and outlined its objectives. He also, presented the headlines from just released NHVS Report.

December 2025 and another HVUG meeting where a similar confidential announcement of work in progress regarding ‘reconstructed classics’ and CKD vehicles was given.

We were very happy with intent, but we have queried some detail and wording. A formal announcement will be made later this year. We also learned of the great efforts being made within the DVLA to ensure policy changes are implemented smoothly.

Today, we have a vastly improved and very constructive relationship with the DVLA. The change of DVLA approach pre-dated the appointment of Tim Moss but he undoubtedly supports it. Proposed policy revisions address at least 80% of our major concerns. We will review when DVLA work complete.

Other Topics

Club Expo included other topics that I have not reported on here. These were:

• The findings of the National Historic Vehicle Survey (reported in a previous Revcounter).
• Car Club Fest at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern in August 2026.
• FBHVC Peter James insurance scheme.
• Borrow a classic scheme.